Update: I was unfortunately not aware of Shamus Young's severe criticism of Fallout 3 available here to link in the original piece and I regret that. It dovetails rather nicely with what I've written and it's much better executed than my piece. I strongly recommend anyone...

HomeNews These 7 Games Answer The Islamic Call of Duty And Land You On A Terrorist Watch List

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These 7 Games Answer The Islamic Call of Duty And Land You On A Terrorist Watch List

While American and British intelligence operatives have flooded online environments like World of Warcraft and Second Life with their own avatars, the NSA's document on "target-rich" digital networks has a lot to say about the opposition's use of games. The opposition is almost entirely Muslim.

Games like Night of Bush Capturing, pictured above, seem fewer and further between than games that aim to achieve the same sense of nationalist pride born in mega-franchises like Call of Duty in America.

Throughout the European, Middle Eastern, and African markets, several games have become popular recruiting and propaganda tools, at least according to NSA document aired out on Monday of this week. Here's a list of titles that could land you on a terrorist watch list as far as the US Government is concerned.

Under Ash and Under Siege: Both titles also act as propaganda for the pro-Islam movements in the Middle East. In Under Ash, you progress from throwing rocks to destroying Israeli military installations. Under Siege takes place between 1999 and 2002 and focuses on a Palestinian family. Both games end if you shoot a civilian.

Commander Bahman: This game puts players in the role of an Iranian Special Forces soldier tasked with rescuing a nuclear scientist from US troops. The player's character's father was a friend of the scientist and is said to be in response to Assault on Iran, a game from Kuma Reality Games that features American Special Forces assaulting an Iranian nuclear facility.

Ummah Defense and Ummah Defense II: This series of games is developed by US-based Islam Games and puts players a hundred years in the future where the Earth is united under Islam. Players defend their planet against "The Flying Evil Robot Armada."

The Resistance: This game is part of an "Islamic Fun" pack mostly dominated by educational titles like Fishing Bear, Tree Hop, and Two Bunny Race. The Resistance puts players in the shoes of a Lebanese farmer who has to fight back against invading Israelis.

Ethnic Cleansing: This game differs from the others on this list in that its set in New York City and requires players to choose between either skinheads or Klansmen to kill racial and religious minorities. The player wins when he or she kills Ariel Sharon, Prime Minister of Israel.

Special Force and Special Forces 2: In both Special Force and Special Forces 2: Tale of the Truthful Pledge, players take on the role of a Hezbollah militant fighting to protect either their homes or the Israeli Defense Force. An official from Hezbollah has said that "In a way, Special Force offers a mental and personal training for those who play it, allowing them to feel that they are in the shoes of the fighters."

Night of Bush Capturing: This game is actually a mod that converts the game Quest for Saddam into Quest for Bush or Night of Bush Capturing. In the game you fight American soldiers until you eventually clear six levels to meet the boss, George W. Bush.

Now, we're posting this as news based on the documents leaked by Edward Snowden with regard to intelligence agencies and their proliferation in online communities like video games, but I'll editorialize and say that these games come no where near the scope, popularity, or virtual reality of America's most popular video games.

In a typical Call of Duty campaign, you'll kill hundreds if not thousands of enemy combatants. I like playing Call of Duty, but it might be in everyone's interest to take a step back and think about what truth these games teach us about each other.

The answer is probably "absolutely nothing." Take a look at the full document on "Target Development" in World of Warcraft and online gaming by clicking the link below. The NSA has been playing games with you. We scrubbed through and got the 5 games you've been playing with intelligence agencies.